// C++ informative line for the emacs editor: -*- C++ -*-
/* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
 * Copyright by the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois.         *
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#ifndef _H5Attribute_H
#define _H5Attribute_H

#ifndef H5_NO_NAMESPACE
namespace H5 {
#endif

class H5_DLLCPP Attribute : public AbstractDs {
   public:
	// Gets the name of this attribute.
	ssize_t getName( size_t buf_size, string& attr_name ) const;
	string getName( size_t buf_size ) const; // returns name, not its length
	string getName() const; // returns name, no argument

	// Gets a copy of the dataspace for this attribute.
	virtual DataSpace getSpace() const;

	// Returns the amount of storage size required for this attribute.
	virtual hsize_t getStorageSize() const;

	// Reads data from this attribute.
	void read( const DataType& mem_type, void *buf ) const;
	void read( const DataType& mem_type, string& strg ) const;

	// Writes data to this attribute.
	void write(const DataType& mem_type, const void *buf ) const;
	void write(const DataType& mem_type, const string& strg ) const;

	// Returns this class name
	virtual string fromClass () const { return("Attribute"); }

        // Creates a copy of an existing attribute using the attribute id
        Attribute( const hid_t attr_id );

	// Copy constructor: makes a copy of an existing Attribute object.
	Attribute( const Attribute& original );

	// Default constructor
	Attribute();

	// Close this attribute.
	virtual void close();

	// Destructor: properly terminates access to this attribute.
	virtual ~Attribute();

   private:
	// This function contains the common code that is used by
	// getTypeClass and various API functions getXxxType
	// defined in AbstractDs for generic datatype and specific
	// sub-types
	virtual hid_t p_get_type() const;

	// do not inherit 'iterateAttrs' from H5Object
	int iterateAttrs() { return 0; }

        // do not inherit 'rename' from H5Object
        void rename() {}
};
#ifndef H5_NO_NAMESPACE
}
#endif
#endif
